This invention relates generally to the field of telephony, and more particularly to an improved tool for inserting the free ends of wire conductors into resilient type terminals or connectors normally mounted upon connector blocks supported upon telephone office main frames.
The use of so-called quick clip connectors has increased dramatically over the last decade because of considerations of cost and ease of installation. Connectors of this type normally consist of a flat metallic stamping having a plurality of resiliently expandable open ended slots at one end thereof, the opposite end being imbedded in the connector block for connection thereto by a wire wrap operation which may be made at the time of manufacture of the block. The slots are often configured so that, upon insertion of the free ends of insulated conductors, the insulation is cut and removed from the conductors only in the area of contact with the connectors, thus avoiding the necessity of a separate wire stripping operation. It is known in the art to provide a tool for effecting such insertions of the free ends of conductors into slots of quick clip connectors. However, once the free end of a conductor is inserted and seated in a slot, it is difficult to trim the exposed stub on the free end of the conductor to a predetermined length, so that it will not interfere with other adjacently located conductors. Further, should it be necessary for any reason to remove the seated conductor from the slot, this usually has been accomplished by pulling the conductor itself with substantial force to overcome the frictional engagement with the opposed sides of the slot, it being difficult to spread the slot for this purpose in the absence of an appropriate tool.
In the above-mentioned co-pending application, there is disclosed a wire installation tool of the type referred to, in which provision has been made not only for forcing the free end of a conductor into a slot in a quick clip connector, but also for thereafter cutting the exposed stub of the conductor to a standardized length where it protrudes from the slot. Provision has also been made at an opposite end of the tool for engagement of the protruding stub and further spreading of the slot to provide convenient disengagement and removal of an unwanted conductor, without damage to either the conductor or the quick clip connector.
While not without substantial utility, this tool construction has several accompanying disadvantages. One is the necessity for inserting the free end of the conductor into a corresponding opening in the tool before installing the conductor, which is an inconvenience. Another disadvantage is that the exposed stub of the conductor is cut by the tool only after the conductor is fully seated in a slot in a quick clip connector which can make it more difficult to cleanly cut the stub. Still another disadvantage is that the tool cannot simultaneously insert two conductors, having their free ends extending in diametrically opposite directions, into the slots of a pair of adjacent quick clip connectors.